MTAQ&A | Gold Coast Campervans

WHAT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?

JW: We predominantly work on custom van conversions. We work with clients that have hopes and dreams and try to make them come alive. That’s the main part of the business. We also do a lot of stock vehicles. We have five layouts and customers who want a campervan but have no idea how to design one can choose one of those.

Within the last eight months we’ve also gone into sales of parts to the van-life community. Those range from air cons, batteries, solar equipment and so on, and we ship across Australia. That is a new avenue for us, and it is going great.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW DID YOU COME TO ESTABLISH GOLD COAST CAMPERVANS?

JW: I actually wanted to be an electrician. My surname is Watt and there are a lot of electricians in my family! I was going to move to Cairns to do an electrical apprenticeship but that didn’t work out.

I was in Lismore, and my father saw an advert in the local newspaper for a Recreational Vehicle Manufacturer apprenticeship. I had no idea what that was, but a mechanical friend said that it could be good for me and I’d learn a lot.

That’s how it really started and, from 2010, I worked for nearly eight years at Horizon Motorhomes in Ballina doing what they called Stage One, which was pretty much all the cut-outs, plumbing, wall linings, and underbody work.

I met Sarah, who is now my wife, when I was there and moved with her to the Gold Coast where I was doing some van fit-out projects and advertising on Gumtree.

One of the managers at Paradise Motor Homes saw my work, messaged me on Gumtree, and asked if I would like a job. And so I began work with them.

I continued working on side projects, was looking to start a business for myself, and eventually I told my manager. He said, “You can have your job if you fail.” That was the final kick I needed out of the door.

So, five years ago, I started out working from a 20ft container. It wasn’t a good shopfront, but it got me going and I was there for about six months. I then moved into a little workshop down in Varsity, moved again to Southport, and then to this workshop where we have been for three years in December.

HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT ARE THEIR ROLES?

JW: I have two apprentices/trainees who are doing the Recreational Vehicle Manufacturer Cert III, and two tradesmen who are shopfitters.
I am still hands-on as well, but I do want to take things to the next level which would mean me pulling away from that a bit. That is a bit difficult because it is hard to replace someone who has been doing it so long.

I am actually searching for someone to look after the shop and also looking for apprentices and tradesmen – those qualified in carpentry, shopfitting, cabinetmaking and recreational vehicle manufacturing.

THE ‘VAN LIFE’ TREND IS PRETTY BIG ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IS IT A RELATIVELY NEW PHENOMENON?

JW: I think it’s always been a big thing, but there’s definitely a lot more people now wanting to get out of their homes and travel around Australia. The trend is getting stronger thanks to Facebook, Instagram and so on, and the influencers really push it, which has been good for us.
Covid also played a part. When Covid happened, I thought it was game over, but people couldn’t travel overseas, had nothing to do, and then the orders just skyrocketed. It was a weird time.

Today, the style of builds we do is very much driven by Instagram and Facebook and our customers are mostly successful people aged from about 40 to 60. We fit only the best quality components and materials to deliver the best products to our customers and the younger generation tend to want to go a bit cheaper.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN BUILDING A QUALITY CAMPERVAN?

JW: As well as using the best quality materials and components, we also take a lean manufacturing approach because weight is very important.
Some vans you see on social media can look amazing but, if you look closely, you can sometimes see their rear shocks are shot right down. If it was in a crash, insurance companies would pull you apart.

All of our work is engineered and compliant and everything is weighed before the vans leave. We source board that is ultra lightweight and there are parts of our builds where, in comparison to other manufacturers, we can shave off a lot of kilos. In our Toyota Hiaces, for example, we have nearly 800kg left over for usable carrying capacity once they are built.

If someone comes to us with a really specific bespoke build, it might require suspension changes and so on. In Queensland, the engineering is a little bit harder to get GVM lifted, but if it is a NSW-registered vehicle, we have engineers that can do all that work.

WHAT ARE THE MAKE AND MODELS THAT ARE MOST POPULAR FOR CONVERSIONS?

JW: We usually work with the 200 series and 300 series Hiace. One reason for that is that you just can’t kill it! Bigger vans are most often the Volkswagen Crafter, Fiat Ducato, and Mercedes Sprinter. There’s obviously different wheelbase and sizes, but they’re the main big manufacturers.
In the Toyota Hiace the most popular layout is the two single benches, two single bed seats that convert into a double, with a kitchenette at the front and a swing-out cooker on the side. For the bigger vans, it’s definitely the fixed bed in the back, toilet and shower layout.

For a stock build with the vehicle included, a pop-top full campervan would be around $75,000 to $85,000, which is pretty competitive pricing. We also offer a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.

HOW DO YOU MARKET YOUR BUSINESS AND PRODUCTS?

JW: Social media works well for us – we have 28,000 followers on Instagram – and we do Google ad campaigns and use Meta. We do a lot of walkthroughs and photos on those channels, and while I don’t use influencers right now, I have thought about it.

IS THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE CONSIDERED?

JW: We haven’t seen any EV vans as yet, but I have had clients say they would like to do that. No one has followed through on that though. I’m probably not that interested in working with EVs yet. The computers are super sensitive and we earth off our lithium batteries in the back and the interference there might throw something out. Down the track we will look at it, if it does become something.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF JUST STARTING OUT?

JW: I would try and get on a business course or do some form of business training. That’s the biggest thing. I’d also say don’t try to go too big too quickly, and also work with your competitors if you can. One of the first things I did once the business was up and running was to contact other van companies around me and say, ‘This is what I’m doing, let me know if you need a hand with anything, because I’m sure that I’m going to need help with something.’ It’s better to have a good rapport with everyone.

WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE BUSINESS?

JW: I definitely want to be in the top five for campervan retail and wholesale. We will also move away from the custom-build side of things and concentrate on stock vehicles and boosting the spare parts e-commerce side of the business.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF MTA QUEENSLAND?

JW: We joined about a year ago and we have found the Workplace Relations information available to be very good.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME, IF YOU HAVE ANY?

JW: My wife and I have a three-year-old and we enjoy what we call an ‘Adventure Sunday’ where we get out of the Gold Coast and go somewhere up in the hills. Time with the family is key.

I also love to play the piano. I’ve always had a passion for music and I enjoy that immensely.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (July 2024)

18 July 2024